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Why do people say Cheese, when it is time to have their photo taken? It doesn't make you smile a bit more or anything, so why this particular word?

It is supposed to make you smile a bit more and any word with that sound will do. In Iceland where ee is not pronounced like in English, the word you say for photos is sís and it doesn't actually mean anything although it was an acronym for a co-op that has gone bankrupt some decades ago. In Denmark they say appelsin (orange)

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Why do people say Cheese, when it is time to have their photo taken? It doesn't make you smile a bit more or anything, so why this particular word?

... In Iceland ... the word you say for photos is sís and ... In Denmark they say appelsin (orange)

While "cheese", "sís", "appelsin" and no doubt similar words in various languages attempt to widen the mouth to improve that photographic moment, why do Germans say "Ameisenscheiße" when this achieves no widening at all? Is it because they are a miserable lot?